Hour of Code will Help Inspire the Next Generation of Dreamers and Developers

The 7,000-strong Microsoft Student Partner (MSP) community will lend its expertise in teaching an Hour of Code to students in classrooms around the world, during Computer Science Education Week from Dec. 8 – 14.

The goal of the Hour of Code is to inspire 100 million youths across the world to participate in one of the largest single learning events ever held. After the recent announcement by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella that the company will help lead that effort, our MSPs volunteered to teach using tutorials created by the Microsoft Learning Experience Academic Product team. One of those tutorials is an activity that uses the TouchDevelop coding tool, an easy-to-use visual game that teaches basic coding logic and gives students hands-on practice building and fixing games. During this Hour of Code activity, students will be asked to help fix a fun and simple game called “Jetpack Jumper,” that challenges players to guide a robot through a maze of wacky obstacles.

Everyone should have an opportunity to learn to code. In this pursuit, it is vital that we do everything we can to cast a wide net to ensure that any student who wants to learn to code, can take advantage of the tools Microsoft offers. These are tools that can help them build the skills they need, to both compete in the job market of tomorrow and perhaps even create the next great world-changing technology.

The dynamic of empowering students to learn has been at work at Microsoft since the company’s beginnings in 1975, when two young students – Bill Gates and Paul Allen – chased their dream of using the power of computing technology to make peoples’ lives easier and more productive. Since then, Microsoft has helped young people realize their potential through programs like Imagine Cup and Student Partners, so they can create bold new lives for themselves through the power of code.

The next generation of developers is out there, poised to do something great. We’re committed to doing everything we can to start these individuals down the path to fulfilling their dreams and potential through events like the Hour of Code.

Join us in our efforts to teach students during Computer Science Education Week. Find out more about how you can participate, whether you want to try it yourself, host an Hour of Code, or just support this important and life-changing event.

Also, be sure to tune into a live broadcast on Channel 9 of an Hour of Code, where you can follow along at home or in the classroom at 9 a.m. PT on Dec. 8. This live broadcast will feature Sage Franch, a Microsoft Student Partner and Technical Evangelist intern, and Susan Ibach, Technical Evangelist.

I can’t wait to see what comes out of it.

Written by Steve “Guggs” Guggenheimer, Corporate Vice President of Developer Platform & Evangelism and Chief Evangelist for Microsoft. Learn more about Steve.